I live along Lake Michigan... I have had several friends from out of the state of Michigan that have been absolutely dumbfounded by its magnitude and the sheer fact that it's not possible to see Wisconsin on the other side. To people that have not visited the Great Lakes... they visually look like oceans.
What’s more worrisome is the fact that your friends can’t gauge distance by looking at a map. I wouldn’t be getting in a car with them driving, that’s for sure.
@@mgsls Working that job convinced me that MOST people suck at geography, not just Americans. I specifically remember one South African dude who even asked if there were sharks in the water... after I already told him it was a freshwater lake.
@@Mentally_Will which is crazy considering we have the most insanely detailed map of the entire planet in our pockets. It wasn't until I got older and got into Google earth that I really got a true understanding of what they were trying to teach in grade school geography and history class. Those maps just sucked and they were colored like a Mexican restaurant for no reason.
As someone has been to the Great Lakes, you can’t even tell that it’s a lake it really just looks like an ocean. You can’t see the other side, and the shore seems to go on forever.
@@trowwzers5057 The upper lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, and Erie) were connected to Lake Ontario via the Niagra before the Welland Canal was made. Bad idea to take the falls though in a boat though. Lake Ontario is connected to the ocean by the saint lawrence river and seaway.
@@somanyappl3 the Caspian sea is landlocked, it doesn't have outflows. The point is not about the size or their salinity, but their origins. The Caspian, in addition of being extremely huge (it's larger than the Great Britain), it used to communicate with Black and Med sea millions of years ago, and its seabed is like the ocean's; that's why you can consider it both a sea or a lake. The rest of the landlocked "seas" are called like that due to their salinity or name origins. Same goes for Great Lakes: they are huge (Michigan lake is around two times larger than the Adriatic sea) but they're still fresh and moreover, they originated from ice melting.
Exactly. It’s so big that it absolutely could have international waters, but it doesn’t. And it’s saltier than the Baltic. If the Caspian sea is a lake, then the Great lakes sure are too.
@@wutm8 You probably mean the Black Sea, which is connected to the Mediterranean Sea by the Bosporus and the Dardanelles, through Turkey (but right next to Greece). The Baltic Sea is Sandwiched between Sweden, Finnland, Germany the Baltics and a few other countries.
This video has so much Bs, thanks for commenting. The “giant cruise ships” pail in comparison to even the smallest carnival cruise ship. And he should have clarified “meteotsunamis” instead of just saying “tsunamis”
They are beasts and MUST be respected. It is always ice cold. In the fall, the Coast Guard is shut down. These guys went kayaking and came up to this rocky cliff and were bashed against the rocks. All you could do was stand there and listen to the screams for help. It was too dangerous to try and help with the size of these waves. The most helpless feeling I've ever felt... they did not make it. Please respect these beautiful monsters. Land locked means nothing when rivers connect everyone to the ocean. Always respect bodies of water. Always respect Mother Nature. She will take you out in a snap of your fingers.
Ok but, guess what, you can drown in any lake, a lake near a volcano can sometimes explode and kill people. No matter how treacherous a body of water is, it doesn’t matter. Seas are defined geographically, not by human impact
I think what makes them lakes and not seas is that water only flows FROM the lakes TO the ocean. In the case of a sea like the Baltic Sea, water can flow both directions. In the case of the Caspian Sea, it doesn’t connect to the ocean, but if it did, water would flow FROM the ocean TO the Caspian Sea, the reverse of the Great Lakes, because the Caspian is below sea level. So I think the Great Lakes are lakes because they connect to the ocean in a way that only lakes can because they are above sea level.
@@insertnamehere313 actually I just visited Lake Superior for the first time recently when I was in Duluth! (I live near Lake Michigan in Illinois.) Lake Superior was pretty calm while I was up there but I’ve seen videos of big waves on Lake Superior before.
I used to live in Chicago and once my friend invited me to the space museum and when we were at the food court that overlooks Lake Michigan, some kid said “Wow it’s the ocean” I literally burst out laughing
YES, The Great Lakes are seas. You need Sea Worthy equipment in order to traverse them. The cute Kayak that can be used at a small campground lake is NOT the same equipment that can be used on a Great Lake. So far, I've visited 3 of the Lakes: Erie, Huron, and Michigan. And all of them are powerful bodies of water that should be treated with caution. Riptide currents are no joke and do kill people every year.
There are dangers on the great lakes, especially the riptides and storm. Many people have used kayaks on Lake Superior mostly for sightseeing, so they stay fairly close to the shore. And then there are people who surf during storms here.
Tell me you don’t live near a Great Lake without telling me you don’t live near a Great Lake. I live on Lake Huron in Michigan. My sundolpin kayak from Walmart navigates those “treacherous sea waters” easily with no issues. GTFO.
@travisvanalst4698 I live near Lake Erie. 🙄 and yes, near the shoreline sure. But the coast guard recommends heavier equipment for actually crossing and going further out into a Great Lake. Sea kayaks also have bulkheads to prevent water from flooding the entire boat. A sea kayak is the only type of kayak that should be used on Lake Superior. A recreational or general purpose kayak is for the casual paddler on placid rivers, ponds, or small lakes.Dec 5, 2022 www.nps.gov › planyourvisit Kayaking at Pictured Rocks - National Park Service
@@travisvanalst4698 lake Huron has very different power than lake Michigan/superior, i live on lake Erie, yes you can maybe kayak near the shore on Huron/Erie but lake Michigan and superior are different monsters, lake Huron has the capability to sink relatively modern Lakers, the great lakes are no joke and underestimating them is how causalities occur, we dont have the most lighthouses out of any state just because they look cool.
Things You Probably Never Knew About The Great Lakes..... 1. Lake Superior is actually not a lake at all, but an inland sea . 2. All of the four other Great Lakes, plus three more the size of Lake Erie, would fit inside of Lake Superior. 3. Isle Royale is a massive island surrounded by Lake Superior. Within this island are several smaller lakes. Yes, that’s a lake on a lake. 4. Despite its massive size, Lake Superior is an extremely young formation by Earth’s standards (only 10,000 years old). 5. There is enough water in Lake Superior to submerge all of North and South America in 1 foot of water. 6. Lake Superior contains 3 quadrillion gallons of water (3,000,000,000,000,000). All five of the Great Lakes combined contain 6 quadrillion gallons. 7. Contained within Lake Superior is a whopping 10% of the world’s fresh surface water. 8. It’s estimated there are about 100 million lake trout in Lake Superior. That’s nearly one-fifth of the human population of North America! 9. There are small outlets through which water leaves Lake Superior. It takes two centuries for all the water in the lake to replace itself. 10. Lake Erie is the fourth-largest Great Lake in surface area, and the smallest in depth. It’s the 11th largest lake on the planet. 11. There is alleged to be a 30- to 40-foot-long “monster” in Lake Erie named Bessie. The earliest recorded sighting goes back as early as 1793. 12. Water in Lake Erie replaces itself in only 2.6 years, which is notable considering the water in Lake Superior takes two centuries. 13. The original publication of Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax contained the line, “I hear things are just as bad up in Lake Erie.” Fourteen years later, the Ohio Sea Grant Program wrote to Seuss to make the case that conditions had improved. He removed the line. 14. Not only is lake Erie the smallest Great Lake when it comes to volume, but it’s surrounded by the most industry. Seventeen metropolitan areas, each with populations of more than 50,000, border the Lake Erie basin. 15. During the War of 1812, the U.S. beat the British in a naval battle called the Battle of Lake Erie, forcing them to abandon Detroit. 16. The shoreline of all the Great Lakes combined equals nearly 44% of the circumference of the planet. 17. If not for the the Straits of Mackinac, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron might be considered one lake. Hydrologically speaking, they have the same mean water level and are considered one lake. 18. The Keystone State was one of the largest and most luxurious wooden steamships running during the Civil War. In 1861, it disappeared. In 2013, it was found 30 miles northeast of Harrisville under 175 feet of water. 19. Goderich Mine is the largest salt mine in the world. Part of it runs underneath Lake Huron, more than 500 meters underground. 20. Below Lake Huron, there are 9,000-year-old animal-herding structures used by prehistoric people from when the water levels were significantly lower. 21. There are massive sinkholes in Lake Huron that have high amounts of sulfur and low amounts of oxygen, almost replicating the conditions of Earth’s ancient oceans 3 million years ago. Unique ecosystems are contained within them. 22. Lake Huron is the second largest among the Great Lakes, and the fifth largest in the world. 23. In size, Lake Michigan ranks third among the Great Lakes, and sixth among all freshwater lakes in the world. 24. Lake Michigan is the only Great Lake that is entirely within the borders of the United States. 25. The largest fresh water sand dunes in the world line the shores of Lake Michigan. 26. Because water enters and exits Lake Michigan through the same path, it takes 77 years longer for the water to replace itself than in Huron, despite their similarity in size and depth. (Lake Michigan: 99 years, Lake Huron: 22 years) 27. When the temperature of Lake Michigan is below freezing, this happens. 28. Within Lake Michigan there is a “triangle” with a similar reputation to the Bermuda Triangle, where a large amount of “strange disappearances” have occurred. There have also been alleged UFO sightings. 29. Singapore, Mich., is a ghost town on the shores of Lake Michigan that was buried under sand in 1871. Because of severe weather conditions and a lack of resources due to the need to rebuild after the great Chicago fire, the town was lost completely. 30. In the mid-19th century, Lake Michigan had a pirate problem. Their booty: timber. In fact, the demise of Singapore is due in large part to the rapidly deforested area surrounding the town. 31. Jim Dreyer swam across Lake Michigan in 1998 (65 miles), and then in 2003, he swam the length of Lake Michigan (422 miles). 32. Lake Michigan was the location of the first recorded “Big Great Lakes disaster,” in which a steamer carrying 600 people collided with a schooner delivering timber to Chicago. Four hundred and fifty people died. 33. Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes in surface area, and second smallest in depth. It’s the 14th largest lake on the planet. 34. The province Ontario was named after the lake, and not vice versa. 35. In 1804, a Canadian warship, His Majesty’s Ship Speedy, sank in Lake Ontario. In 1990, wreck hunter Ed Burtt managed to find it. Only, he isn’t allowed to recover any artifacts until a government-approved site to exhibit them is found. He’s still waiting. 36. Babe Ruth hit his first major league home run at Hanlan’s Point Stadium in Toronto. It landed in Lake Ontario and is believed to still be there. 37. A lake on Saturn’s moon Titan is named after Lake Ontario.
I grew up along Lake Michigan. My girlfriend is from Pennsylvania, and had never seen the Great Lakes before I took her home. She was flabbergasted at the size of the lakes and how they behaved almost exactly like oceans.
Superior still retains its hold as the largest freshwater lake that exists by surface area and Baikal has more water because it's deeper than any lake that exists.
I would posit that the Great Salt Lake should be ignored as precedence, because it has no drain and sits in a salt bed, thus being naturally salty. Then again, the Salton Sea in California also has no drain, is salty, but we call it a sea. So I suspect maybe drain-less bodies of waters are forever doomed to be inconsistent in English.
I think it has to do with the elevation of said body of water. The Great Salt Lake is above sea level while the Salton Sea is below sea level. If you look at all seas and lakes, there’s a pretty consistent rule that if they’re at or below sea level, they’re called “seas,” while if they’re above sea level, they’re called “lakes.” The Caspian Sea, Salton Sea, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, and Mediterranean Sea are all at or below sea level. The Great Lakes, Lake Victoria, and The Great Salt Lake are all above sea level. The only exception to this rule I can think of is the Aral Sea, which was above sea level. It barely even exists anymore sadly though. But overall, this seems like a pretty consistent rule.
Great lakes also have reefs with rocks and plantation for spawning and sanctuary for breeding fish, and they have lagoons here in lake erie too. It's like an ocean
I grew up along Lake Huron on the weekends with my dad. I have a short up of me chilling at Tawas Point State Park and it kinda gives you an idea of how vast these Lakes really are. I have been to 4/5 so far my last one to visit being Lake Eerie so, one day. But you could definitely call them mini seas/Oceans, that’s what I call them even though they are fresh water lakes. They are just HUGE. Superior is DEEEEEP.
I never understood why we refer to them as lakes. I live in Chicago just blocks away from Lake Michigan and it literally looks like an ocean. The water is even blue, there are literal beaches with sand and everythinf.... when i think "lake" i think of murky green water thats small enough to where you can see the other side of
I live in a beach house on Lake Erie and when my friends from California came for a beach tournament, they were surprised they could not see accross to Canada. I think unless you have been here or sailed them you would think that. Definitely dangerous waters being so shallow.
Ok…if ear5 was the side of Jupiter, but we had a lake…the size of one whole face of the planet, waves with ocean size…but it was landlocked, above a bigger ocean (to be fair, the ocean would have to be bigger otherwise this lake would be considered the ocean) and freshwater sources are below it, it’s still a lake
The best definition of a lake is that it has a flow of water through it, be it via rivers or through the ground. If it does not, I. E. The terminus of a flow system, then it is a sea. The salinity is not a defining factor. By this definition the great lakes are true lakes, whereas the Caspian is a true sea.
Water levels can change on a dime on Lake Superior. I was fishing on the shoreline of Superior last year where a small river emptied to the lake. It was sunset and not a cloud in the sky the lake was calm with really no waves. The clear water suddenly became murky, and the lake water rose and started flowing INTO the river! Instead of the river flowing into the lake! Most bizarre thing I think I had ever seen. I watched boulders that stuck out of the water by about 1’ disappear under the water, they were about 20 meters from the shore. This happened in about 10 minutes.
@@wrotedog No., it doesn’t produce its own water. The Great Lakes are supplied by water from surrounding rivers and creeks, and snowmelt in the spring, it’s a part of a watershed. What I witnessed was most likely a seiche, which is when changes in atmospheric pressure effect water levels in a lake. The following morning after I described what happened a low pressure system rolled in and it stormed, the seiche just happened very early I guess.
@@wrotedog there is a very good example of a seiche here on YT posted by jblehman. The man’s boat was on its side in the sand one minute and two minutes later it was back in a few feet of water.
This says that they have tsunamis, they do not. Check definition of tsunami, caused by earthquakes and feature water receding rapidly and then coming back in huge wave. Huge waves on Lake Superior are caused by very strong wind over period of time and the huge length of the lake and keep coming hour after hour.
if lake huron and michigan are technically the same lake that will be the biggest but dont tell michiganders and yoopers that we like to keep them seperate
Lakes are not connected to the ocean in through seas, channels or directly. Caspian sea is a lake, it's only called a sea because of its salty water Romans thought it was a sea
I think they should be able to be called seas. If you look up the history of all the great lakes, you'll see that there is many ship wrecks and even airline that haven't been found. The lakes are very deep, 1000 ft in some areas, and create very dangerous winds and waves.
I live in the Chicagoland area. I have friends and family that have visited from out of state. Their first impression is that they say it looks like an ocean. I tend to agree, although Lake Michigan waves are more calm than ocean waves imo.
The Great Lakes are lakes with the exception of Lake Superior. The difference is size since Lake Superior holds twice as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined and holds 10% of the worlds freshwater by itself. Lake Superior holds enough water to cover all of north and South America under two feet of fresh water. Personally I think it should be renamed “the superior sea” or “the sea of superior” but that’s just me
I live in the Upper peninsula in a town where it’s normal to see those giant freighters just floating through the space between our mainland town and the island across from us. Driving across the mackinaw bridge quickly let’s you get a feeling as to how vast the Great Lakes are.
Living close to Lake Ontario most of my life (Ontario being the smallest of the great lakes) it is still huge! You can't see the other shore east to west or north to south. Even in this smallest lake you can surf. They are inland seas
Talk to any skipper or crew of Great Lakes freighters and the salties that visit through the St. Lawrence Seaway. They pretty much all think of them as seas.
When I used to go to cubs games as a kid driving with my parents on lakeshore drive I always said that Lake Michigan was the ocean but my parents always corrected me. I always thought they were lying
It’s not really tides. But as the video states tide-like behaviors. If a storm rolls in or the wind blows the right way. Levels can raise or lower drastically. I can attest to this. I have been fishing at a mouth of a small river that emptied into Lake Superior, it was clear, calm, no waves. Suddenly, the water turned murky, and the lake started flowing into the river, instead of the other way around. I watched as boulders about 20 meters from the shoreline that were sticking about a foot above the water disappear under the water. That day was one of the most bizarre moments of my life. Im not entirely sure what caused the situation but it was amazing to see.
Lake Ontario is maybe the closest one to a Sea,with it being connected to the North Atlantic.Via the Saint Lawrence River So not totally land locked. I have surfed Ontario,and Erie.I worked on the lakes long long ago. Storms come up faster then on the salt.1,000 foot ships work the Lakes,and get btorn up some in Laker storms.
Define it like this... wave action, having been both to the Atlantic and resided in Great Lakes. The waves of the Great Lakes are shorter and choppier... The Atlantis long and rolling... even Jacques Cousteau said he'd never return.
I live on Lake Ontario and yes I can’t see across but it’s definitely a lake and I’ll keep it that way thank you- oceans are not for me they be terrifying
The caspian sea is not a sea because its land locked, its just called a sea because people tought it was to big to be a lake, so the great lakes are also lakes
Yeah and plus the Great Lakes we actually do have a wiggle of the connections to the Atlantic ocean. It’s just very very small but you can see where the weather starts if you look at Canada and you can see where it ends if you look at the New York northern border
The Great Lakes act like seas and are just as big as seas, especially Lake Michigan and Lake Huron which are just one lake bigger than some countries. The great lakes are all connected and would be roughly the size of the UK. The lakes are big enough that to boat from one end to another can be a day or even 2-day trip, don't even think about paddling. It has islands on it that have lakes within them and big enough that they could have decent towns or small cities on them. Do not treat them like lakes or you'll be calling the coast guard. That being said, they are definitely calmer than the ocean. So if you have experience on the ocean you'll do just fine on the great lakes
Are the Great Lakes Seas? In a sense, they are Both Lake & Sea. They are Lakes because of they are Fresh Water & Land Locked, and they are Sea’s because they have Tides and have features only Oceans have. They are the Great Lake Inland Seas of North America. Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie, and Ontario.
It’s a combination of having extremely low salinity, being completely land locked, and not being deep or big enough. Oceans average depth is 12,000 ft the Great Lakes are nowhere near that.
No! Sea is a very imprecise term. The Great Lake are definitely lakes. The Caspian Sea is regarded as a lake because it is landlocked. However, it was formed as a cut off from the ocean so some consider it not to be a lake.
The Great Lakes aren’t land locked lake freighters go out to the ocean all the time and salties come in all the time, there’s a river connecting it to the ocean
